Catherine Thomas Jarvey: Texas mom nearly starves son, 6, to death, boy weighed only 15 lbs when rescued
WICHITA, TEXAS: A Texas mother was detained last week for starving her 6-year-old son and nearly killing him. On Friday, October 14, Catherine Thomas Jarvey was arrested and charged with exploitation of a child and injury to a child with intent to inflict significant bodily harm on one count each after her son was allegedly found weighing only 15 pounds, which is less than he did when he was just a year old.
According to a court affidavit, Wichita police officers responded to a welfare check request for a potentially wounded child at the Delux Inn motel in the 1200 block of Broad Street on September 21 at about 1:30 am. According to the police, they were informed that Jarvey and her two children lived in one of the rooms. According to the police, an exterminator who was present in the room saw one of Jarvey's kids in a terrifying state.
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The affidavit states, “[A]n exterminator had been to the room and observed the Victim, whom he described as looking like a skeleton lying in a pack and play in the room. When the head of the skeleton turned and faced the exterminator, he realized that the skeleton was a child who was alive.” The exterminator informed his supervisor about the state of the child, and the supervisor then called the police. The motel was then visited by Juvenile and Crimes Against Children Unit detectives. Police reported that when they first encountered Jarvey, she was cradling a tiny child in her arms "much like a parent would hold an infant."
Officers then came to know about the real situation when Jarvey told the police the youngster was actually 6 years old. “The Victim could not extend his arms and legs and did not let out any noises. Your affiant observed the Victim move his eyes and head slightly as people talked and observed hair growing all over the Victim’s body. Your Affiant observed that the Victim’s head was misshapen, and he suffered from a severe curve of his spine. Your Affiant could see the Victim’s rib cage which was curved inward and askew,” the affidavit added.
In addition, the police found several expired cans of Pediasure that Catherine claimed she had used to feed the boy via his gastrostomy tube. 18 additional cases of the formula, all of which allegedly had use-by dates of 2021 or earlier, were reportedly found in Catherine's storage space. She allegedly claimed to have given the boy eight ounces of formula every five hours, but she later acknowledged skipping a few feedings because she was preparing her daughter for a dental appointment.
After being taken to United Regional Hospital, the doctors allegedly informed police that the victim had not eaten in 24 to 48 hours because there were no gastrointestinal contents present in his stomach. After that, he was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center for more advanced care. Doctors said the child had atrophy in all extremities and that the scoliosis was visible in the entire spine and shoulder blades. The benefits Jarvey had been receiving for her son's care in the form of food stamps and social security cash, according to the authorities, were not being used for his benefit while she and her daughter's needs were being satisfied. According to Law and Crime, The suspect is now held on a $70,000 bond.